Chiropractic Care for Sleep Difficulties: Chiropractic Plus Newcastle, NSW
April 20, 2018 11:51 am
Some animals can survive without sleep for a long time because they have to be awake to breathe. Humans, on the other hand can breathe just fine unconsciously, use our opposable thumbs to text without looking, survive for months without food, yet we can only live for two weeks without sleep.
Uninterrupted deep sleep every night helps our body regenerate the vital energy we lose during the day. It allows our muscles to rest, our blood pressure to decrease and our organs to recharge – most especially our brain. Continual sleep disruption will not only cause us to wake up cranky with minimal energy, it can also be a major contributor to back pain. This is why a good deep sleep is one of the most important elements of a happy and healthy life.
Broken sleep and bad sleeping habits are definitely not ‘normal’ but they are common. If you have trouble sleeping, perhaps it’s time to explore the myriad causes for it.
Why do so many of us find it difficult to get a good eight hours? According to Peter Imlay of Chiropractic Plus, one reason why people tend to have sleep issues is overexposure to blue light. This type of light is commonly found in electronics such as our televisions, phones, computers, other gadgets and even in our lighting. Studies have shown that blue light can disrupt our circadian rhythm, making the body feel like it’s still daylight and consequently fail to fall into the high quality deep sleep it needs. It is best then, if you are having trouble with broken sleep, to refrain from looking at any of these screens at least an hour before you go to bed.
Another cause you should investigate is your bed. If you are experiencing lower back pain, Peter Imlay recommends sleeping on your side, with a pillow between your legs so that your legs and hips aren’t twisting or crossing over. A good pillow is very important. Your pillow should fill the gap between your head and shoulder so that your neck isn’t straining too high or too low.
Everyone has a different spinal type and sometimes it feels like there are about seven billion types of mattress too. Soft, hard, spring, foam, water; the only way to find out which type is right for you is to try as many as you can. It is recommended that you change your mattress at least once every ten years, so if you are sleeping on an old mattress, this may be the cause of your discomfort.
Another reason for broken sleep could be that perhaps your body’s just not tired. We have always been told that everyone needs eight hours sleep every night and while that would be lovely, the truth is that many adults can function fine on five to seven hours. So if you are waking up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason, try getting up and walking around or doing something to occupy yourself for a couple of hours, then going back to bed. It may be that you simply need quality rather than quantity.
If all else fails and you are still having trouble sleeping or are waking up with pain, then it is very likely that the issue is an internal problem with your spine. Instead of just attacking the symptoms with painkillers or other medications, try a drug free method concerned with treating the cause.
Chiropractic is not merely concerned with back pain, the spinal nerves send signals to every part of the body. Having your spine adjusted by a Chiropractor causes the upper neck to increase the nerve supply to your limbic system, which is the system responsible for our emotional behaviour. Maintaining and ensuring ample nerve supply to your limbic system can help you to manage stress more effectively.
So if you are having trouble sleeping or waking up with pain, look at your sleeping habits, look at your pillow, look at your mattress and don’t look at phone or computer screens an hour before bed. If these tips aren’t helping you, make an appointment at Chiropractic Plus today.
